THE GOLDFIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11871, 24 January 1902, Page 6

THE GOLDFIELDS.

AUCKLAND SHAREMARKET, The market was quiet yesterday. In investment lines Taupiri Coals sold at 18s. In mining lines Welcome Jacks, contributing, were done at'3d. Waihis changed hands at £6, sellers closing at £6 2s 6d, buyers £5 18s 6& Waitekauris had gale at I 9s 6d, more being looked for at 9s 3d, sellers j.9s'6d. Late prices governed other lines. WOODSTOCK G.M. CO. \ Private cable advices received in Auck- ' land : from * Home r ■ indicate that the Wood- : stock Gold Mining Company's reconstruction ; scheme is in ' hand, and that calls have been made for applications for shares in the reconstructed company. - This being so, it may reasonably be assumed that the re-, sumption ; of operations at the company's property at Karangahake will not long be i delayed. TAIRUA BROKEN HILLS G.M. CO. In the Tairua Broken Hills Gold Mining Company's mine stoping has been started in the low level on contract, and rising on the reef from the same level ! has also been commenced. The lode ; in, the rise'is fully 3ft wide, the ore going to the mill from here and from the stopes being of a.good. pavable quality. '• At 200 ft above the low level an /intermediate level has /been started from .the main rise, going north Und south on the reef. The lode is 4ft* wide, and the ore going to the mill from here is also of good payable. quality. Crushing was started on the 15th inst., and the quartz undergoing treatment is shaping ; for a r good/' return. Now that everything in the mine is in good working order it is intended to keep the battery going continuously nine hours per day, and to clean-up at the end of every month, the first clean-up to be on March 1 next. - ■-'.'■ - -■ -/ '' _____, ; : v;, KURANUI G.M. CO.

In the Kuranui Gold Mining Company's mine the tunnel level is now cleaned out and repaired to within 65ft of the top of the rise from the low level. = Owing to the very difficult state of the workings, it is taking a longer time than anticipated to complete this very important work, but, when, finished, it will be a good and lasting one. Another two, weeks will see this work ' nearly completed. The two men working in the low level are ', still meeting with good prospects. The quartz is being saved, and when treated is expected to give a satisfactory return. •:> THAMES DRAINAGE BOARD. : The first meeting of the newly-constituted Thames Drainage Board was held yesterday forenoon in the effice of the secretary (Mr. J. W. Nichol). ■ There were present: Messrs. J. M. Lennox, H. Green, S. Hesketh, ; A. H. Curtis, M. Paul,: S. G. Maclcy," and F. Trembafch. Election of Chairman:! The meeting unanimously re-elected Mr. J. M. Lennox as chairman for the ensuing year, who thereupon took his seat and thanked the members for the . honour thus conferred upon him. ■ ':'... ■'■_ -"' " -

Tenders: It was decided to call for tenders for coal and J cartage for the year, returnable in 14 days, specifications to be the same as last year. i : ; Costs of Drainage: On the motion of the chairman/ seconded, by Mr. Curtis, it was resolved, " That the following statement be adopted by the Board as the estimate of the amount required to defray all costs and charges ? for drainage purposes - during the current year, including the necessary expenses of the Board for the same time; the drainage to be to the 500 ft level: —Coal and cartage, £1740; wages and salaries, £1000, foundry work and pumping requisites, £250; Board fees and travelling expenses, £160 ; water supply, gas, and timber, £200 ; miscellaneous and incidental expenses, £350 ; total, £3700. ; Thames Hauraki Contributions: : Mr. James A. Miller, solicitor to the Thames Hatiraki ; : Company, wrote .'requesting the Board for an extension of : time to the end of February, before enforcing the judgments held against Ins clients, as there was a probability of the claims being satisfied if sufficient time were given. He referred to the cable recently received by Mr. C. A. Harris, attorney'to the company, from the Official Receiver, to the effect that the scheme of reconstruction was expected to be completed during the present month, when the necessary capital would be available. The writer pointed out that the enforcement by the Board of their three judgments would mean the enforcement of all other judgments, and might result in the sacrifice of the most valuable' property in the Thames district. It was eventually resolved, on the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr. Green, " That the Thames Hauraki Goldfields. Limited, be allowed until February 28, 1902, and no longer, in which to pay the arrears of contributions due by them, and that Mr. Miller be informed accordingly." . '! At this stage the meeting was adjourned until the afternoon, to allow the committee appointed ■'for,': the purpose, to complete the assessments for the yea*, Assessments for 1902: On resuming (Messrs. J. R. Gray and T. A. Dunlop being also present), the committee submitted the following schedule; of drainage assessments recommended to be levied against the contributing companies named fpr the current :—Victoria, £170 ; Kurarrui-Caledon-ian, £334; Kuranui, £95 ; New Moahataiari, £468 : Waiotahi, £339 ; May Queen Hauraki, £1235 ; Thames Hauraki, £986. These rates were made subject to a rebate of 5 per cent, for all contributions paid within 14 days of due date. The Chairman moved the adoption of the committee's recommendations. Mr. Gray seconded, and the motion: was carried, the committee receiving a vote of thanks. The assessment list was then signed. The usual formal motions to the effect.that the rates as per schedule be struck as assessments for the year, that they be payable monthly, and that notice be given to the companies concerned, were duly carried. It was decided that the Board should sit to hear appeals on Saturday, February 1, 1902, at eleven a.m.

IMPORTANT MINING CASE.

SEQUEL TO A WAIHI ACCIDENT. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] •}'. Paeroa, Thursday., - As a sequel to a recent accident in Waihi mine, resulting in the death of Mr. C. Marshall, two young men named Reginald Tile and Daniel Perry were to-day charged at the Warden's Court, on the information of the mining inspector, with having committed a breach of the Mining Act by neglecting to tell their comrades who were .'relieving them on shift of an unexploded charge. Mr. Coutts, mining inspector, conducted his own case, and Mr. McVeagh appeared for defendants and pleaded not guilty. / ' Mr. Coutts/in opening the case, said fchat this was a case brought under sub-section 3 of section 212 of the Mining Act, 1898. He would endeavour to show that the two defendants did not inform C. Marshall and J. McMillan of the state of the workings where they were employed on December 3 last, in which a serious accident had happened to 0. Marshall, who subsequently died from the effect of an explosion of gelignite, ■ This was the sixth accident that had occurred by explosives during the least six months, two of them being similar to the one in question, and he (Mr. Coutts) considered a great many of those accidents were caused through carelessness. ■■■'/;'.: ',■■;■'.: :■".:■:■; Evidence was then given, the defendants admitting that they had charged three holes, one of which was in rug, and when the explosion occurred one report being much loudei than the other caused them to Ihink that the two had gone off simultaneously, the other shot being a weak one in comparison. They thought, therefore, that the three shots had gone off, and were not aware that one charge remained unexploded. After the evidence for both sides had been taken Mr. Coutts said that he had brought thfc present , case forward as a warning,' especially in view; of the fact that there had been more accidents at the Waihi mine during the last six mouths than had been the case during the 10 previous years. He was sure that these accidents . were in a large measure due "'. to the contract system,' as the men went to work hurriedly,; and they, ,eft i. as quickly, 'and somehow there did cot "wem : to" be the amount "of :', caution exercised when explosives ; were ;being dealt with as ': was • necessary. ...■-,.•';'•* ,'- --:..* y The Warden concurred, when reviewing the evidence adduced. ■ * He congratulated \ the defendants on the straightforward *vii; dence that they had given. vlt seemed'to >• him that there had .been'a doubt ; in the i minds of each as to whether the three i hots | J had really gone off, but ■■ they would? not I

shield themselves by saying they had actually 'heard, three shots. He censored that when it was necessary to charge a hole in a rug miners should be .doubly careful, and it appeared as if. it was the partially exploded charge in the rug that had caused the : accident. The defendants ': were, Therefore, in his opinion guilty of a technical breach of the Act/ rather than an actual or an intended breach. The regulations, • Mr. Warden Bush pointed out, had been framed for ! / the ; miners' - own protection, .;: and he thought that they should be very careful in strictly adhering to the same. <'As he had already said, ; the /two/defendants had; been very truthful in their statements, •;and he would ;consequently deal < with them very leniently. The Warden then imposed a fine of 10s and costs 13s 6d each., PAEROA WARDEN'S COURT. , [by \ telegram.—own CO-RESPONDENT.] .... Paeboa, Thursday. • At the Warden's Court to-day the following applications were granted by Mr. R. S. Bush, ; Warden: —T. B. Willkms, Just-in-Time special claim (recommended); D. Sul- ■ livan, residence section 402 a, Waihi; Cbas.; Bernick, residence site, Waihi; Alfred Buckland, residence site, Waihi; E. D. White, section 4, : Block 1., Mackaytown, residence site, near Owharoa; /Henry Fan-ell, 1 timber warrant, Waihi; Win. Conway, jnn.,';cßidence site, Karangahake; Caroline Waddell, residence site, section' 22, Block V., Mackaytown ; New Zealand Jubilee Go! d Mining Company, Limited, special site, five acres, at Waitekauri. -•'' : :'' : "" " ' ,

Absolut© and Partial. Protection: Hikutaia Gold Syndicate, Limited, permission to work the Maratoto Consolidated special claim with six men for, six months. / It was stated that the syndicate had already spent something like : £15,000 on the property. Waitekauri Cross Gold Mining Company, permission to work with 10 men for six months. It was stated that the company had expended £30,000 in development of, the property without any returns. The present pumping plant was incapable of doing the work required, and until the additional plant was ' erected only 10 men could be advantageously employed. The application was V granted. 1; Francis V. Heanah, six months' protection: for residence site No. 4162 Wm. J. Holes, permission, to work the Smithfield special. claim at Waihi with two men for five months; Fredk. M. Brown, six months': protection for Karangahake and Mackaytown special / river claim ; / Alfred Long, six months' protection for Waihi New Discovery special claim.

DXINEDIN STOCK EXCHANGE. [BY TELEGBAPH. ASSOCIATION.] i ;- Dtthedin', Thursday. f Dunedin. Exchange sales: Alexandra Lead, 5s 9d : Alpine H, 25s ; Endeavour, 16s 9d ; Golden River/7s 9d ; Golden Run, contributing, 18s ; Leaning Rock, 15s 3d; 'Meg and Annie, 24s '■';[ Roxburgh Jubilee, 17s 6d, 18s. Otago'Exchange: Hokitika River, 16s ; Trafalgar, 245, 24s 3d.